Jazz Performance

Jazz performance is a demanding and distinctive route through music education, focusing on one of the most intellectually complex and socially significant musical traditions that America has produced and the world has embraced. Jazz is not simply a genre to be learned but a language to be internalised: one built on improvisation, deep listening, harmonic imagination, and the interplay between individual voice and collective creativity. Studying it seriously at degree level means developing the instrumental or vocal proficiency to operate confidently within the tradition alongside the theoretical and historical knowledge to understand what you are doing and why.

At the University of Chichester you will study across four years on a full-time programme. The first three years develop your technical and musical skills and explore the rich context of jazz, from its blues and African American roots through swing, bebop, modal jazz, fusion, and contemporary forms. You will study harmony, theory, ear training, and the history and aesthetics of the music alongside intensive performance practice and ensemble work, developing your voice as an improviser and collaborator.

Your final year focuses exclusively on performance, culminating in an extended recital that showcases what four years of dedicated study has produced. This performance-centred approach means the degree is, above all, a formation in musical maturity, the ability to bring something genuinely personal and responsive to a musical situation.

Graduates of jazz performance work as professional musicians in a wide range of contexts, including live performance in jazz clubs, festivals, and concert halls, session work across genres, and educational settings from schools and community workshops to music colleges and private teaching. Composition, arranging, and music directing for theatre and film are further directions for those who develop their creative writing alongside their performance skills. Many graduates also move into arts administration, music journalism, or music education leadership.

Further study at postgraduate level in performance, composition, or music education is available for those who wish to deepen their specialisation.